


Tonight, On a Very Special...

by Zarla



Category: Phoenix Wright
Genre: Barely Veiled Hostility, Hatesex, Humor, Love/Hate, M/M, awards show
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-06-13
Updated: 2007-06-13
Packaged: 2017-10-06 04:27:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/49668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zarla/pseuds/Zarla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"And now, back to the Kid's Choice Awards, with our special guest host, Matt Engarde! And <i>super secret</i> surprise co-host, Juaaaan Corrida!"<br/><i>What.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Tonight, On a Very Special...

**Author's Note:**

> I'm pretty sure I'm fudging how an award show would actually work, but the idea amused me way too much. I had fun with this one.

The sound of applause never got old. He'd been doing this for years now, and still there was that kind of giddy thrill when he heard it, knew it was for him. He couldn't stop smiling...he didn't even know when he'd started. It had that kind of effect on him, and perhaps how addictive that feeling was was why he stuck with this career in the first place.

There was that, and the fact that Corrida felt the same way he did when he earned applause, and went into the same field at almost the same time, as if to spite him.

Ha. As if. Everything they did was to spite the other. They chose their entire paths in life, embarked on their careers just to spite the other. _I can do it better than you_ had become almost a lifelong mantra for Matt, and he couldn't even recall when he started living by it.

Thus there was a kind of sick irony, lost to all those outside their obsession with each other, that they had to work together tonight.

Of course, had Matt known beforehand that his co-host for this particular segment of the Kid's Choice Awards would be Juan _fucking_ Corrida he would have refused. Made up some story about being too busy or something so he wouldn't seem cold, but he certainly wouldn't have done it. And knowing Adrian, she wouldn't have set him up to do it, since she knew that Matt, at the very least, did not care for Juan very much.

However, the producers must have thought it would just be hilarious to not tell either of them about this, since he was informed of his co-host seconds before he had to walk on stage. Just long enough to notice that across the way, Juan Corrida had the same stunned "oh _hell_ no" expression before it was carefully hidden.

They were both actors, after all, although Matt of course was better.

He was sure that the producers intended there to be some kind of point to this, judging by how they were introduced. A long schpiel about working together in the face of differences and uniting for a common goal and all that crap. Definitely some intended lesson for the kids that even two people who had a reputation for not getting along could get along tonight, to honor some...random chick who did something for the network. Or was on some comedy show, or something. He wasn't paying that much attention. Matt mustered up just enough passion to care for the ten minutes he was on air, which was all he expected to do and should be expected to do, goddamn it, especially standing next to _Juan Corrida_ of all people.

He was definitely going to have Adrian chew out whoever was responsible for springing this on him, because he was sure she couldn't have known. This was inexcusable, to expect him to work under these conditions. To not tell him that he'd have to work with _him_. There was no excuse for this.

There were some positive aspects though... since they rarely stood beside one another, this made the fact he had an inch of height on Juan more obvious, and he knew Juan hated that. And it gave him the chance to outshine him in front of thousands of viewers, so that was something anyway.

They were both actors, and they knew their limitations. While Matt was sure Juan was seething inwardly just as he was at the thought of having to work with his most hated rival, even if it was for only a few minutes, he didn't show it. Juan was as smugly confident as always, irritating lazy smile and all and still with that reed in his mouth, even here. Well, it was his trademark or something. Who cared.

Matt was at the top of his game, all light and breezy comments, slightly foolish and naive which he knew the kids loved. Not a hint of malice in his demeanor, all carefully hidden and masked away. That was one of his specialties...to be completely disarming.

Juan acted with a bit more sophistication, class and smoothness if one felt generous enough to call it that. Matt didn't think he pulled it off very well, since that would require Juan actually _having_ some kind of talent or class, which he didn't as far as Matt was concerned. Older kids liked him though for some reason, particularly the stupid giggling girls. Not that that bothered Matt at all because it didn't, since they weren't the biggest demographic and therefore it didn't matter. Juan was too stupid to realize he was targeting the wrong market, apparently, but that fit since he'd always been an idiot. After all, he was still challenging Matt even though he had no chance, and only an idiot would fight a battle he couldn't win.

They had to come up with something though, since if they spent their time on stage together just glaring at each other, no one would be happy and Matt didn't want any kind of stain on his reputation. This was an important night for the kid's market after all, and it did boost ratings, particularly if he was charming and affable. He was going to be charming and affable if it killed him, and as the seconds dragged on he was beginning to wonder if it would.

Both were good enough at improv to come up with some lines on their own. They feigned surprise at seeing the other, asked each other about their respective locations on their shows. Came all the way from Neo Olde Tokyo, I've never heard of a place like that, and so on and so forth. Juan played the straight man, somewhat, to Matt's kind of naive cheerfulness, and the kids laughed at everything they said. Matt asked a bunch of silly questions about Juan's show, slightly surprised at himself for knowing as much about it as he did, and Juan expressed a well-faked interest and amazement at Matt's description of the lineage of the Some Type of Metal Samurai.

They managed to keep the venom hidden well enough that it wasn't entirely obvious that their little digs at each other were serious. Only the slight tightening of the grip, the momentary twitch of the eye, indicated that the supposedly fun teasing had any deeper meaning.

It began to become a competition, to see who could insult the other subtly enough to not arouse suspicion, yet deeply enough to _sting_. Didn't surprise him, as everything between them eventually became a contest, and as long as the two of them laughed, smiled at each other, or shrugged off the insults as best they could while choking down the hatred, no one was the wiser. Juan cut him fairly deeply when he asked about an episode where Matt had been taken captive by the evil Strawberry Clan, and he wasn't entirely surprised to find out that Juan was just as knowledgeable about Matt's show. Figured. It gave them more fuel to use against the other after all. Matt eventually cut Juan just as deeply with a similarly emasculating event on the Jammin' Ninja, where he'd been fooled by an attractive female double agent of the Muromachi Five and had been in peril for two episodes.

They smiled at one another, eyes twitching just slightly, and still laughed and Matt kept his casual, light tone, peppered with the occasional "dude" or "like" as required. Juan kept his side up, smooth and airy with the occasional word in Spanish. It was hard for Matt not to roll his eyes at those, given they'd grown up together and he knew that Juan could barely speak Spanish at all. Juan had probably been advised to play up that part of his heritage, given the recent influx of children's shows that focused on teaching both Spanish and English words. How humiliating. Matt smiled genuinely for once at the thought and Juan twitched a bit as he recognized it, but didn't say anything.

All in all, longest ten minutes of his life.

Finally, the two of them walked off stage amidst the applause, and Matt eyed his rival carefully as the two of them moved out of sight of the audience. A quick glance around to make sure that attention wasn't on them at the moment, and he grabbed Juan by the ends of his stupid white scarf and pulled him back out of the way, pushed him against the wall hard enough to knock his breath away.

Juan was startled, surprised; too much so to fight at first, which gave Matt the time he needed to pin him down fairly effectively. A moment of struggling, harsh breathing and Juan quieted down, glaring at him. Matt got as close as he dared, teeth clenched tight and he could feel a quiet, cold fury coming through his voice.

"Don't fucking upstage me again, Corrida."

Juan regarded him carefully for a few seconds, then tried to break away. Matt anticipated this and fought him back against the wall without too much trouble. Juan gritted his teeth, strained against Matt's grip for a few seconds, then gave him a cruel smile.

"Then don't make it so easy."

Matt's hand moved smoothly from Juan's wrist to his throat, and Juan leaned his head back, wheezing slightly. "I'm serious, Corrida. I won't fucking stand for it."

Juan paused for a second, and Matt could feel his heart beating underneath his fingertips, and he again tried to break away without success. He never did give up when he should. Matt tightened his grip, pushed one knee between Corrida's to take away any leverage.

Breathing hard, hissing through his teeth, and matching anger, cold and familiar. "Fuck you."

Matt came in close to him, their bodies inches apart, waited so that their proximity could not be lost on him, and hissed back with the same kind of cruelty that Juan had used before, "Maybe later."

Juan tried to push him off, push him away, but Matt had the superior position and refused to let him go. He tightened his grip on his throat and Juan coughed, grabbed his wrist.

"You wish."

Still talking back. If they were in a different location, one not quite so public, Matt would have been quite happy to show him the rather painful consequences for doing that, but they couldn't fight here. It was too public, and he was pushing it as it was.

He reluctantly let his grip slacken, and felt Juan take in air gratefully.

"We'll see."

"Fuck you," Juan muttered, rubbing at his throat. Matt stepped back with what might have looked like a gracious gesture, had it come from anyone else. Juan brushed himself off and took a few steps away from him, wary of another attack. "You're a psychopath."

"And I'm still more popular than you. Life just isn't fair, is it?" Matt smirked at him in a way that he knew would be infuriating. He could see the tremble across Juan's shoulders as his hands tightened into fists. Just as expected. Juan could be so predictable sometimes.

"Funny thing that they liked me more than you tonight then, isn't it?" The same kind of false pleasant tone in his voice, and Juan tilted his head away from him, like he was appraising him. "I guess you're right, life just isn't fair."

Matt glared back at him, smirk now gone, and he crossed his arms. "That wasn't a good idea. Bringing that up out there."

"What? Oh, you mean the episode where you got your ass kicked? The kids seemed to think it was hilarious."

"It's not going to matter what the kids think later tonight, is it?" Matt tapped one finger against his metal arm, and his voice was quiet and calm.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Juan still glared, outwardly unimpressed although he began to adjust his scarf, a nervous motion. He'd made him uneasy then, just as he'd intended. So easy to predict sometimes.

"I'm just saying you shouldn't do things you may regret later," Matt said slowly, making sure each word was clear.

"What, are _you_ going to make me regret them then? Please." Juan rolled his eyes and turned away. "I'm not afraid of you, Engarde."

"You should be."

Juan stopped, then looked over his shoulder back at him. There was a pause as the two regarded each other.

"I'm not," Juan said, then turned away again. Matt watched him walk away, fingers tightening in the fabric of his costume as he thought over what Juan had said during the night, the fact that he had to tolerate standing next to him, that he refused to be cowed and listen when his betters were talking, and that he still had the insolence to ignore him, to think that they were in any way equal.

He always made good on his threats, and it wouldn't be difficult to find out where Juan was staying tonight.

Matt smiled. "You will be."


End file.
